He Doesn't Sleep Anymore
by HowlingAngel
Summary: She pressed her mouth against his face and whispered into his ear 'C'mon Kit, it would be so easy and he deserves it. Just reach out and snap his neck. I promise you'll love it.'
1. He Doesn't sleep anymore

**Title: **He Doesn't Sleep Anymore  
**Universe:** Naruto  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Character/Pairing/s: **Naruto, Kyuubi  
**Warning: **Nothing, just general bouts of paranoia  
**Summary: **She pressed her mouth against his face and whispered into his ear 'C'mon, Kit, it would be so easy and he deserves it. Just reach out and snap his neck. I promise you'll love it.'  
**A/N: **The Kyuubi is a girl. Masashi Kishimoto could show me demon anatomy charts and I'd still believe Kyuubi is a girl. Boys are not that bitchy.  
**Dedication:** To Zanisha for being my first ever review.  
**Disclaimer: **Do not own. Will never own. You people know the drill.

* * *

He doesn't sleep anymore. The sound of screaming and explosions in the back of his mind don't let him. The soft whispers cajoling him keep him awake. She's always there, in his head, talking like no tomorrow.

_(Soft hands edged with claws trace up his spine-)_

She never stops, keeping up a commentary on every facet of his life, from his friends to his teachers to the villagers to old man Hokage-. Most of the time he can block her out by laughing louder and shouting more, but at night when he's too tired from training and the latest disaster and keeping up the mask that's getting harder and harder to hold up, she's got free reign of his thoughts.

_(They hate you, you know. It would be so easy, Kit. Just make them go away. I can teach you how.)_

She lives in his head, so she knows what to hit him with. Her body doesn't exist so she doesn't need to pause for breath. Her words are a constant stream that builds in intensity when she notices he's listening.

(_He's going to leave you, Kit. If he's dead he'll never leave. _S_tretch out a hand and wrap it around his neck. Remember how the Snake-man looked at him, promised him things. Stop him and the man can't hurt him-)_

He hasn't slept since that night on the bridge with Haku.

00000000000

Sakura's yelling at him again. He hadn't actually done something to annoy her this time. She just started in on him for a comment about the weather being nice for a picnic. Placating her just makes it worse.

_(You shouldn't let her talk like that to you. I'd gladly rip her larynx out_-)

He doesn't know what made him do it. The lack of sleep turns her high voice into nails on the chalkboard of his ears. He snaps.

"Shut up! Shut-Up! I am not in the mood!"

They're staring at him and reflected in their eyes for a second he doesn't recognize himself. For a second he sees the red eyes and tails that started appearing when he fights.

They look so surprised, ask him if he's okay and all he feels is pissed off. He feels angry at the fact that the three of them don't take him seriously and ignore him and make fun of him and go out of their way to make him feel useless when all he wants to do is protect the people he cares about and for the _damnedest _reason they made the list. Who do they think they are? Are they so special that they're _entitled_ to make him miserable? What about him? Why can't he get any respect that he deserves because he knows he's earned it. If it wasn't for him half of them wold be dead-

_(Her laugh echos in the corridors of his mind.)_


	2. Eat Your Heart Out

**A/N: **Because all you people kept saying that you wanted another chapter. I wasn't planning on doing a continuation but _somebody_ started whining about more and getting everybody else to say the same. So here it is and hope you like it!

**Dedication: **To Seren-chan for getting the ball rolling.

**Disclaimer: **Are you kidding?..

* * *

What was wrong with the dobe?

He prided himself on his observational skills and intelligence but it didn't take a genius to tell that there was something very wrong with the dobe. His eyes were rough and had bags and lately his voice sounded like he'd been chewing glass. During training, he was slower than he used to be and got tired out more easily. The boy looked horrible but whatever it was, he pretended like it was nothing.

_(never thinking of himself, never wanting to trouble-)_

It was strange, to say the least. He was the type of person who complained and whined about everything from Sasuke himself to missions to food, but when it came to things that were important, like his health, his lips were shut. Oh well.

It wasn't like he cared or anything-

_(despite Naruto was the closest thing he had to a brother - closer than a brother-)_

-but he was suitably concerned. After all, the brat was part of the team and could cause them to fail a mission if whatever was eating at him got in the way and made him mess up.

_(make him get hurt, die-)_

So long as the dobe didn't get in the way, he didn't care one way or another. He had other problems to worry about and didn't have time to stop and think about a dead last who didn't matter.

_(-mattered more than anything_-)

It's not like he could actually help anyway.

* * *

He had no idea what the hell had happened.

One second Sakura was yelling about being propositioned for another date while he stood there trying to calm her down, tell her that he wasn't and the next-

The next he was screaming at her to shut up and all they could do was stare. He'd never seen the dobe so mad, so absolutely _livid_, especially at Sakura.

_(-not even when he thought the senbon had killed him or when he gave up in the Forest of Chakra-)_

He watched him and every instinct was screaming at him to run. Him, top of the class, always able to best him in every spar, and all he wanted to do was run.

He watched Naruto as he scowled at them. He watched as the weird chakra that Kakashi avoided talking about pulsed into visible existence, took the shape of long ears and a tail.

_(many tails, so many tails- why is he the only one who can _do _this-)_

Watched as his eyes bled red and his legs _still _weren't moving even though he had abandoned his pride already and decided running wasn't shameful if you were scared out of your mind.

_(Scared scared scaredscaredscared - not even _Itachi_ scared him this badly-)_

And even if it was shameful, he was way out of his depth here. Kakashi wasn't even doing anything and Sakura had passed out from the pressure of the chakra crushing them and it was a testament to his skills as a ninja then he wasn't on the ground with her.

_(Naruto?)_

He didn't look at all like the happy idiot. All he could do was keep staring at him.

_(Naruto?)_

He was staring back, dead in the eyes and it hurt - _hurt_ - to keep the contact.

_(Naruto, please..)_

He was stepping over Sakura and reaching for him, stretching his arm out and touched his face. Kakashi was twitching in the dirt, a kunai sticking out of his throat.

_(Hadn't even seen the weapon, hadn't noticed it fly and hit-)_

The fingers on his throat were tight and the lack of air shocked his system back in gear. He moved- _finally- _and grabbed the boys wrist. It didn't budge.

_(Why is he doing this? Why is he still looking at me like that?-)_

He lay on the ground and watched through darkening vision as sandaled feet and swishing tails headed for the village.

"_Don't worry, Sasuke. I'll fix everything."_


	3. Burn, Baby, Burn

**A/N:** Okay listen up- NO MORE! I love that you people like this, I do, but _please_, I have no idea what the hell to say after this so stop asking for updates. If you do it means I start wracking my brains for inspiration to add more and make you guys happy and I sorta like this fic as is. So settle down and deal with asking for new stories, kk.

**Dedication:** To Seren-chan again for being so polite, and to Cheeto for her infectious enthusiasm.(I read your review and had the sudden urge to start writing)

**Disclaimer: :**phhh: yeah, right

* * *

Fire is so pretty.

It licks and twists and bends into lovely shapes and patterns. It shares it's beauty when it burns. Paper and grass and cloth and wood all twisting and molding and blackening into the most _delicious_ shapes.

_(Dazzling, shimmering, splendid light traveling up their street and houses and flesh-)_

It has the most interesting color too. Just think about it for a moment. A healthy, happy orange dancing around, shifting to yellow and red and in the underbelly, the most stunning shades of blue and white.

White hot is such a funny phrase, isn't it? White - hot. White hot.

Sounds kinda like a oxymoron for some reason, so hot its white.

_(White fire, white ash, white eyes burning red to black-)_

So funny. Funnier then the empty laughs he used to belt out to all those people. Less funny then all those people screaming. She's making jokes about bad hair days in his head and for the first time since she appeared he's cracking them right back.

_(Ooh, look at that guy. He looks like he's doing the chicken dance, trying to put out his arms-)_

She's actually not so bad when she's not trying to drive him mad.

_(-mad, mad, mad as a hatter and twice as shiny, shiny, shiny as a penny, penny, penny for a thought-)_

He hasn't felt this good since- since- since... wait, what? He pauses. There is a feeling, a thought, a memory: a hitiate being handed to him, warm ramen, 'Good job, team'-

_(A closing door- no, no, Kit, no 'before' thoughts. No realization.)_

He grinned. He hadn't ever felt so good. This was nice, a lovely day with a lovely fire.

_(Good boy)_

Konoha was so much prettier burning to the ground. Wouldn't all the villages be pretty if they burned too? Racoon-eyes could help! He liked the red stuff, didn't he? They could burn and drain together. Go all around and see the fire grow. Could find those Akatsuki guys to, and the snake man. Show them as good a time as the villagers.

_(Wonderful idea, Kit, you promised Sasuke after all..)_

He licked the blood from his cheek and smiled.

* * *

  
Review button. Embrace it.


	4. AN

Okay, this is NOT a continuing chapter! Repeat, this in Not a continuing chapter!

This is, however, a concession to all those who read and loved this story. I really appreciate the fact that all of you loved _**He Doesn't Sleep Anymore**_ so much and I'm sorry that I couldn't make it longer or better or all the other things people have told me about it. I'm also sorry for being a little bit snarky about the longevity of this fic. There are only so many ideas a girl can come up with, y'know.

I wasn't going to continue this, but like I said before, you wore me down. And I was talking to my Dad about it and he kind of goaded me into making more. I won't bore you with the details but it resulted in a few more ideas from this cobweb covered skull of mine.

I thus announce that I am working on a sequel, _**Awakening Was Never So Sweet**_.

I also ask for help in the writing of a summary for it.

Thank you and keep in touch.

Angel


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